Our retro tour of America has a special place in my heart with this stop in Canton, Ohio. I was born in Akron, Ohio, but we lived in North Canton. I have heard many stories about how great Meyers Lake used to be. When my mom was a little girl, her family used to go there every year because her dad worked for Goodyear and Goodyear would have their annual company picnic there. From what I have seen online, Meyers Lake was a popular site for other company picnic days too. read more...

On this night, fifty-five years ago, Americans gathered around their T.V. sets to watch a new sitcom - Leave It to Beaver. The first episode had a different dad, and a different Wally, but viewers did get to meet June Cleaver and the adorable, young, Beaver Cleaver. Beaver was actually named Theodore, but we mostly thought of him as Beaver, or Beav. read more...

Planning on watching the Presidential Debate tonight? I thought you might enjoy reflecting back on what we were watching twenty years ago. The Presidential Debate of 1992 was the first debate that included three candidates - Bill Clinton, George Bush, and H. Ross Perot. As we know, Bill Clinton ended up winning the election, and then the following election four years later.

This clip from the election shows an issue we are still talking about today - healthcare.

It makes me wonder what we will be talking about twenty years from now.

Fifty years ago tonight, Americans were introduced to a show that would be with them the next thrty years - The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Even though he retired from his show twenty years ago, in 1992, you will still hear comedians and entertainers today expressing their gratitude to Johnny Carson for giving them a huge boost in their careers because they were allowed to perform on his show. Not only are many celebrities grateful for him, but also the millions of Amercans who felt like they enjoyed a party every night before going to bed. read more...

The next stop on the Retropolis retro tour of America is George's Coney Island in Worcester, Massachusetts. In about five years, it will celebrate it's 100th birthday. George's Coney Island was founded in 1918, and expanded 20 years later. The neon sign that people recognize today was created in 1940. You can find out more about the history of George's Coney Island at http://www.coneyislandlunch.com/ read more...

Who doesn't remember All in the Family or The Jeffersons? I'm grateful to have grown up with both of those shows. I grew up in a time when I could see and hear, through the character Archie Bunker, how stupid racism was. I grew up in a time when it didn't occur to me that there was anything new about seeing a Black family who "moved on up" to a "deluxe apartment in the sky" (as The Jeffersons theme song goes). Seeing a biracial couple who lived next door to The Jeffersons seemed perfectly normal to me. read more...

Anna Paquin's acceptance speech at The Oscars in 1994 is still one of my favorite Academy Awards acceptance speeches of all time. She was only 11 years old, but she seemed to genuinely understand and deeply feel what an honor it was to receive the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. When I watched the clip of the ceremony again just now, which showed the other women who were nominated, it reminded me what an incredible actress Anna Paquin already was at such a young age, to win against other actresses who were already well known for being extremely talented. read more...

Dick Clark - what a man. As I was growing up, I noticed he never seemed to age. He had a timeless, youthful quality about him that never left. He was a go-getter who was young at heart. Therefore, he would never give up, not even after he had a stroke. Yes, the stroke harmed his absolutely perfect voice, but it didn't seem to harm his will and his spirit one bit. Year after year, he returned to Times Square so we could still have our rockin' eve with Dick Clark. read more...

100 years ago, on this night, passengers on the Titanic were enjoying their last full night of joy on the ship that they believed was unsinkable. They would go to bed, have a full day the following day, and then late that night, at 11:40 pm, the ship would hit an iceberg. Tonight was their last night of sleep on the Titanic. It was the last night of sleep that 1,514 people would ever have. read more...